The Commerce Times

Politicians make the grade

Barack Obama
When Barack Obama assumed leadership of the United States, the good will that he built with his positive, hopeful campaign should have been enough to push anything he wanted through Congress. It should have been a fresh start for America, during one of the worst periods in its recorded history. And while Obama has been able to pull the sputtering American financial system through the first- and worst- wave of the recession with an $819 billion stimulus package, and get the troops out of the sinking ship that is Iraq, he’s also faltered on key issues that could have established lasting change. Part of the problem is the Republican obstinacy on issues like environmental reform, but the truth of the matter is, Obama just hasn’t found his political voice yet. An illustrious man, Obama has been thinking like a strategist- but he is still being bullied into giving up too much when it comes to policy.
Grade: B-  Acceptable, which is no small feat when dealing with the pugnacious American political landscape. Shame that we can’t grade on a curve.

Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper is living proof that the most unpopular kid in the class can still pull in some of the best grades. Despite being a minority, his Conservative government has managed to rein in lobbyists and reach a softwood lumber deal with the United States. Harper has been cautious with the Canadian economy during a worldwide downturn. In fact, the biggest problem that Harper faces is how well he plays with others. He is a tactician and a micromanager, and his habit of bluntly silencing those who disagree with him or become politically expedient is becoming the opposition’s greatest tool against him. The action of proroguing Parliament did not make him any new friends, but was technically the smart move,once again, he’s outmanoeuvred those who would prevent the Conservative minority from being outmuscled in the House. Now, Harper can keep any embarrassing or inconvenient politics out of the public eye until the Olympics are upon us.
Grade: B+ He might not get picked first at recess, but Harper has managed to outmanoeuvre the opposition once again.

Dalton McGuinty
Numbers don’t lie, and after the  government released its annual Progress Report, it showed that Ontario is actually doing better than ever in several key areas. Graduation rates have gone from 68 per cent to 77 per cent four years, over 900 nursing positions have been created for 2010, and over 670 wind turbines have been created  as part of Canada’s largest solar farm. As a Liberal premier in a Conservative-led Canada, Dalton McGuinty has been doing fairly well. However, as a university student, it would be remiss not to mention the cancelled tuition freeze and the monstrous increases (as high as 36%) in tuition costs. As well, controversy over the “broken promise” to review the Health Care Tax cost McGuinty in the final stage of grading.
Grade: B- McGuinty is a solid politician, and a brown-noser. He’s been raked over the coals for broken promises by many- justifiably- but once again, some of these numbers are impressive.